NHTSA Data of Acceleration Complaints on NPR.org

I like that they highlight market share as it correlates to share of complaints. Going back into the '90s and working forward, it's also interesting to see that Toyota's share of complaints didn't exceed their market share until 2002, when it suddenly nearly doubled their market share. No other maker ever had such a large discrepancy between the two. Even tho Ford led the list all through the 90's and in 2004, the two numbers were always close.

- D

 

Maybe in 2002 toyota changed the acceleration associated systems? Toyota was low, then it seems after 2004 the incidents seemed to climb.

 

Rather than sort the lists by 'Share of Complaints', wouldn't it have made as much sense to sort by 'Complaints per 100,000 vehicles"? While the brands with single digit counts and tiny market shares would have to be marked as 'insufficient data', this should be valid for any brands with large market share or double-digit counts.

By this sorting, Volkswagen-Audi hasn't yet put this issue behind them.

Other sources have stated that Toyota's drive-by-wire throttle was introduced in 2002, though it took several years to reach through the whole product line.

But some of the recently alleged fatalities predate that introduction. When the headline count was at 34 deaths, local news indicated that that total included a 1992 fatality in a 1988 Camry, and several other pre-2000 deaths.